Portrait of Jeffrey for electric cello and computer by Pauline Oliveros

Old Badman for electric cello and computer by Arthur Hernandez

PROGRAM NOTES

Threnody, composed in late 2003, is partly about war and what is lost in its name. “Threnody,” which means "song of mourning," is probably best known to musical enthusiasts as the title given by Penderecki to his string orchestra piece named for the victims of Hiroshima. Like Penderecki in that piece, I composed the piece thinking I was working in purely musical terms; only afterwards did the tone and shape of the piece bring to mind the extra-musical resonance and title. Nonetheless, I was surely influenced by the daily news at the time, as the piece has come to seem inextricably connected to the war time loss of lives in my own mind.
In this piece the computer records, manipulates, and plays back the sound of the cello (and only the cello), beginning and ending with the simple and harmonious overtones of the open A string.

The title of the piece, Dilemma (1987) describes its content. Four basic musical ideas representing four basic emotions are confronted in order to express the feeling of a dilemma.

In Portraits the performer receives sets of pitches from the composer generated by various algorithms derived from the time, date, place of birth and name. The performer then renders a self portrait using the given pitches guided by a mandala score (included) and instructions. An interactive computer program was created in the software program MAX/MSP by the performer which includes the mandala image. The work was completed in 1988 with funding from the Composers’ Program of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Old Badman (2011) was commissioned by the e-cellist Jeffrey Krieger in 2008. This commission coincided with the passing of the American composer Donald Erb (1927-2008). Donald Erb was a great teacher, mentor and friend to Arthur Hernandez, and had written the work, Suddenly, It’s Evening, for Jeffrey Krieger in 1997. Both Hernandez and Krieger decided that it would be appropriate that this new commissioned work would be dedicated to the enduring memory of Donald Erb. The title, “Old Badman” comes from the last movement of Erb’s last large orchestral work, Evensong (1993). Old Badman is an American folk legend that Erb humorously adopted as a moniker for himself due to the iconoclastic reputation that he had developed over his music career. The work begins with a direct quote from the opening motive of the first movement of Evensong, followed by a passage of music that, if not a direct quote, is certainly a familiar passage in the later music of Donald Erb. From there, Hernandez takes this material and creates a uniquely original work of music all its own.

Tue May 29, 2012

I am offering a presentation that focuses on performer and computer interaction using MAX/MSP software. I have built interactive MAX/MSP computer patches for performance for over 20 years. This presentation has been successful at schools such as the Hartt School, Peabody, Radford University and Cincinnati Conservatory, and can be for composers, instrumentalists and media artists.

The above can also be in the form of a short or long term residency. A 2-day residency would begin with a concert performance followed by a workshop for student composers, performers and media artists. An extended residency could include student interaction, as well as a performance of their work.

The presentation would need a stereo sound system for playback, as well as a smart classroom projection system to demonstrate the software and multimedia connected to a Macintosh Powerbook computer.

WORKSHOP TOPICS AND REPERTOIRE:

INTERFACING THE INSTRUMENT WITH A MOTU DIGITAL AUDIO INTERFACE, MIDI PEDALS AND COMPUTER

INTRODUCTION TO MAX/MSP SOFTWARE

REALTIME EFFECTS, AUTOMATED TASKS AND COMPUTER SCORES
- Petals by KAIJA SAARIAHO - demonstrates extended sonic possibilities using realtime pedal control and the scoring of electronics.
- Shadows & Light by KEN STEEN - expanding and contracting the space.
- Indian Summer by ALVIN LUCIER - the work features 2 sets of beating patterns, one a unison double-stop, the other a slightly detuned speaker using a pedal.

EXPANDING COMPOSITIONAL POSSIBILITIES
- On Connecticut Naturalism by MICHAEL GATONSKA - a complex MAX/MSP program which allows the performer to record material in realtime resulting in the layering of sections and transitions, as well as extending the sound of the electric cello.
- Landmine by ANNA RUBIN - triggering digital audio from the fingerboard and playing sound files.

INTERACTIVE SCORES AND MULTIMEDIA
- Variations II by JOHN CAGE - a realtime score in MAX.
- Portrait of Jeffrey by PAULINE OLIVEROS - a unique, interactive, computer score in the form of a mandala which encourages improvisation.
- Videocello, an interactive video improvisation by JEFFREY KRIEGER

Fri May 25, 2012

I'm writing because we have just under a week to reach our USA Projects Videocello goal! This is an all or nothing fundraising model so we need one last push to keep all funds raised to date.

-- Can you help? Even sharing on your Facebook wall or sending the project link to one friend would be so appreciated.

Also, I would like to announce that I will be donating 5% of any money made performing this cutting-edge work to Water Aid India. Water Aid India is the leading charity for clean, safe water and sanitation in the world's poorest countries.